


Magnanimity

by godrosebyrne



Category: Wanted (2008)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-21 01:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30014205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godrosebyrne/pseuds/godrosebyrne
Summary: She specialized in medical emergencies at Banks General Hospital. A medical anomaly and a suicide raised a lot of questions and suspicions. When a sudden heart condition threatened her life, Samantha was given an offer she couldn't refuse - a new heart and a highly-paid position at a secretive high-tech genetics research facility - until some mysteries started to unfold right in front of her.
Kudos: 3





	1. Flurried

Patti’s Coffee stood right across the emergency room she worked in. It was extremely cold and Samantha badly needed her drink. She was quite the coffee addict and she could smell the fresh aromatic beverage through the hospital windows. The coffee joint would be open until late evening and she was dying to grab something to drink to sustain herself until the end of her shift.

She hugged her green trench coat over her scrubs and made her way through the blizzard and into the calming warmth of the establishment. Breathing in the long-awaited heavenly scent, she was unbothered by the line that would exceed her break time. She waited while watching the employees clean the used tables and hoped that the coffee would work its magic on her.

"Dr. Parker, right? Here’s your 900mL white mocha with two extra teaspoons of white sugar," the brunette cashier told her. "Your drink was already paid for, ma’am. Have a great night!"

Samantha wondered who paid for her coffee. Although she orders the same drink every time she went to Patti’s, she was hardly a regular. Yet.

Her eyes took a quick sweep of the nearly empty place but no one was looking at her. "Thank you, miss."

She decided to just head out and was about to cross the street when someone called to her.

"Miss Parker!"

"Yes?" She turned to her left, only to find the voice coming from a woman in a suit walking towards her. She was slightly flurried by the looks of this woman. Undeniably gorgeous, she thought. The woman was about five feet and six inches tall, slim, with thick brown hair that was just above her shoulder, and had incredible brown eyes. She wore a gray suit that resembled one that Dana Scully would wear.

"I’m Liz," she held out her hand as she introduced herself. "I’m here for a visit."

Samantha shook Liz’s hand. "Medical visit?"

"You probably don’t recognize me but if I were you, I’d drink that coffee before it’s cold."

Samantha was taken aback. "Are you--?"

"The one who bought it?" Liz asked and Samantha nodded. "I did, just so we could have this conversation. I hope your curiosity outweighed your suspicion that I was a stalker."

"Well, I was curious, until you said the word ‘stalker.’" Samantha said. She noticed that Liz shivered slightly as the cold wind blew. She invited the woman to walk back to the hospital with her to warm up. She was intrigued that a gorgeous woman like her had gone so late at night just to have a chat with her.

They crossed the street as Liz spoke. "I want to invite you for dinner. Saturday night? I mean, it's the weekend but you’re not working on Saturday, right?"

Samantha had the weekend to herself but she wasn’t sure whether she should consider the offer or not. She was a stranger - she could’ve been anyone - but nonetheless a very gorgeous stranger. There was something about her that was captivating.

"If not, maybe I could get you another coffee."

"Oh no, please. You already bought me one."

"I was thinking, maybe we could go for Amber’s Cuisine. I mean, it’s close to the hospital. If you ever think I’m a stalker, you can fake an emergency page and leave. Are you okay with eight p.m.? We can meet there if you don’t mind."

Samantha glanced at Liz. She found her quite good-looking; she seemed to be a high-flier and outgoing. She hadn't been with anyone since her father’s death. His unfortunate death was a piece of emotional baggage that she had been carrying for years. As her colleagues used to tell her - leave the past behind - maybe she should go out and get to know this woman. They were standing near the doors of the lobby, the snow dusting both of their shoulders.

Without any more thoughts, she agreed. "I don’t mind. I’m fine with eight o’clock."

The woman extended her hand to Samantha. "Liz Norman."

"Samantha Parker." She shifted her cup to her left hand to shake Liz’s hand.

Her smile blossomed. "Pleasure to meet you, Samantha."

_ _ _ _ _

Moments later, a voice called over the intercom: "Dr. Parker to the ER. Dr. Parker, ER."

She hurried down the hallway of the sixth floor and towards the elevator, nearly colliding with her friend, Ava.

"This is the third psychiatric emergency at three a.m." Samantha complained to her friend after pressing the elevator button. "Can’t they just sleep in and have their trauma after breakfast?"

"Then you’ll never get paid for overtime."

Samantha cringed at those words. "Well, thank you, Dr. Smartass."

"Good thing you finally acknowledged the capability of my brain, Dr. Distress." They stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut. "At least it’s payday in a couple of hours."

"Pardon?"

"You’ve forgotten what day it is again, haven’t you?" Ava asked Samantha and received no response. "It’s Friday morning, Sam. You have the weekend off with Ms. Gorgeous."

"Her name is Liz Norman, alright?" Samantha said as the elevator doors slid open and she jogged down the lobby, heading for the emergency room. 

The windows showed the parking lot covered in snow while huge flakes danced along with the wind. By the time her 48-hour shift ended, she hoped the plows had already cleared the roads. She entered her 4-digit code into the security check and pushed the steel door open into the ER. Olivia Howard, one of the nurses, was sitting by herself with a bloody line running down her left arm. "Careful, Samantha."

"What happened?"

Another nurse, Gabby Warren, stepped up with alcohol and cotton pads in her hands. "Your patient is nuts."

"My patient? Where’s Sean?" Samantha asked.

"Dr. Falcon’s wife passed out in their bathroom, took her to St. Lucy instead of here."

Dr. Falcon was on call until seven in the morning; the same time Bill Cooper, the attending psychiatrist, was expected to arrive to do the first rounds. She was left with no choice but to take charge of the psychiatric unit for the next four hours. Screaming and swearing echoed from the examination area.

"Fuck." Samantha muttered as she headed towards the examination room. An orderly on each side of the bed, a nurse named Lou and the attending ER doctor, Alice Moore. The orderlies were standing but not holding the patient down. The leather restraints were still rolled up.

"Thank God, you’re here." Dr. Moore said with a sigh of relief.

"What do we have?" Samantha asked the ER doctor.

"She’s exhibiting violent acts; wounds on her legs and stomach were possibly self-inflicted. She won’t identify herself. I suggest she needs to have B-52 IM."

Samantha didn’t want the patient to be sedated, despite her current state but ER doctors didn’t have time to deal with this beyond sedation and transfer. She needed the patient to be cooperative for her own recovery.

The patient was a young woman in her late twenties. Blonde hair with face frozen in emotionless state. There’s blood on her fingernails from her attack on Olivia. An indication of severe frostbite can be seen on her bare feet.

She moved to the foot of the bed. "I’m Samantha Parker. I’m a psychiatrist at this hospital. What’s your name?"

"They killed my baby!" The patient shouted.

"Okay, okay, I’m listening. But if you continue to show me that you’re a danger to yourself and to others, these nice men here will hold you down and you’ll get injected by a lot of drugs to restrain you. That wouldn’t solve anything, right?"

The woman seemed to be listening.

"I’ll offer you something to calm you down for a bit. Just a couple of pills and we can talk about the whole situation afterward, okay?"

"She’s too violent, Samantha," Moore whispered.

Samantha focused on the patient. "I’m a doctor but I can’t totally cure you. You have the capability to fight against this. I’ll help you. You’ll feel drowsy with the pills but it would be the best for you. Our priority is to make you less uncomfortable. Have you taken anything before you arrived here? Prescription or illicit drugs? Alcohol? Allergies?"

The patient shook her head. Samantha told Lou to get a thermal blanket.

"If you don’t want to talk, I understand. Do you have someone we can contact for you?"

The woman shook her head again, accompanied by a tear escaping from her eye. Lou returned with the blanket and Samantha carefully covered the patient. One orderly tucked her in while the other plugged the hoses of the thermal blanket into the heating unit.

"Okay. Do you agree to take the pills?"

The patient looked at her hands. "I let them kill my baby. I deserve to die."

Samantha told Lou to get the pills. She turned to the patient and noticed her frostbitten hands. "Do you feel pain in your hands or your feet?"

The patient shook her head.

"May I take a look at your injuries?" The patient nodded and Samantha pulled the blanket back. "Help me with these jeans, okay?"

The woman unbuttoned her jeans, allowing Samantha to slide them off. One of the orderlies placed the jeans inside a biohazard bag. The two doctors saw a lot of cuts on both legs.

"Let me look at your stomach. Can you lift off your shirt?"

The woman took her shirt off and three huge wounds were seen across her stomach. The stabs roughly corresponded with the position of the ovaries. The wounds were not lacerations. But incisions.

"Scalpel wounds," Samantha muttered. "Looks like a medical professional did this."

"I’m a surgical nurse," the patient claimed.

Lou returned with two different paper cups. One is smaller than the other one. Samantha took the small cup, containing two pills inside and gave it to the patient. She swallowed them and drank the water from the larger cup. It would take a few minutes for the drugs to enter her bloodstream.

Samantha covered the patient and motioned the orderlies to leave. Dr. Moore exited the room to tend to other patients in the ER, leaving Lou and Samantha with the patient. "Looks like you have second-degree frostbite. We need to consult a dermatologist."

The mysterious nurse nodded.

"If it’s okay with you, I’d like Lou to put some bandages on you. I’m a psychiatrist, not a trauma nurse." Samantha said. "We need to take your vitals as well."

The woman didn’t react as Lou pulled back the thermal blanket and put bandages on the wounds. The trauma nurse gave Samantha a look. A long scar that’s nearly invisible, ran upward from beneath the woman’s rib cage, creating a line that’s nearly ten inches long. Without a word, Lou clipped a pulse oximeter to the patient’s left middle finger since it had the least damage. She wrapped the cuff of the digital sphygmomanometer around the woman’s arm, and took her temperature.

"Thank you, Lou."

"Do you need anything else, Dr. Parker?"

"Could you call up to the sixth floor and have them prepare an observation room for us?"

"Of course. Should I call patient services as well?"

"I’ll take care of it." Samantha turned back to the patient once the trauma nurse left. "May I know your name?"

"Claire. Claire Embrey."

"Do you know what happens next?"

"I’ve expressed suicidal ideation. You’ll observe me for 72 hours after stabilization."

"Do you still feel like you want to hurt yourself?" Samantha asked.

"I want you to know that you’re a pretty good doctor. You look young but you’re pretty good."

Smart move, Samantha thought. She was in her thirties. All of her close friends were married. Her med school friends were working in better specialties in more profitable hospitals. "The meds are probably kicking in."

"No. I-I want to die. Eventually, I will. I want you to know that it won’t be your fault."


	2. Finding Out

"That was pretty good work,"

"That’s probably not good enough, Dr. Moore."

"Oh, come on. You followed the protocol, successfully relieved her agitation and you got her admitted. That’s enough to call it a good day," Moore told Samantha. She’s older than the four-year intern. The doctor, being in her late forties, is incredibly supportive of Samantha ever since day one. "I think you’re in for residency. Even if I’m not part of the board, you have my vote."

Samantha just changed the topic. "What happens to Claire after the CT scan?"

"I’m not sure. Lou has been in the ER longer than I. Maybe you should ask her. The CT is for precaution, don’t worry." Alice said as she walked down the hallway back to the ER.

Samantha took the elevator back to the sixth floor and uploaded Claire Embrey’s chart. There was nothing other than her name, vitals, time of admission and a warning of her suicidal ideation.

"Rough shift today, huh?" Nick Feig, the RN on the desk, gave her the brows. "Room thirteen is open if you want to have a nap before the first rounds."

"Where’s Ava?" Samantha asked Nick.

"Doing the rounds with the two new nurses. You need a break, Sam."

"What if the room is needed?"

"A reason for me to kick you out ASAP. It’s better to sleep in there rather than in the hallways. I’ll wake you up when it’s six."

She collapsed on the bed near the window of room thirteen. Lying on her side, she studied the blizzard beyond the thick glass window. She thought of Liz Norman, amazed at how bold of her to accept the dinner offer. But Claire Embrey suddenly paved into her thoughts. Samantha wanted to know who she was to help the woman free herself from her darkness.

Is it from stress? She thought to herself. Constant stress could crumble even the most balanced psyche of a woman. It could be, she guessed, before giving in into sleep.

It felt like only three seconds passed before Nick’s hand shook her shoulder. Her consciousness sparked before her. "What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

"Holy shit--" She sat up immediately. Her heart skipped a beat.

"It’s fine, Sam. Dr. Cooper called. He’s waiting for the roads to be cleared before coming in to do the first rounds. You might have another thirty minutes, or forty perhaps."

She saw spots in front of her eyes. It left her breathless moments before she could get a hold of herself. Nick appeared ready to reach out and steady her but Samantha held up her left index finger. After a moment, her near syncope episode passed.

"You okay?"

"I’m probably exhausted."

"You do know that fainting is considered a medical emergency, right? You’re already in a hospital, Samantha. You might want to have that checked out."

"Been this way ever since I was a kid, I’m fine."

She still had another eight hours before she could have the weekend to herself. She glanced at the clock by the nurse’s station. Medical shifts at Banks General begin at seven a.m. She walked around the corner to the observation ward to have a look at Claire. Ava Alonzo stopped her. "She’s still asleep, Samantha."

"I have a few questions for her. I want to know who she is."

Ava, who is occupied by a couple of charts in her hands, answered Samantha without looking at her. "You can start with her work history. Use the telephone to get to Billing."

"All I’ll get from Billing is what insurance is covering her. Telephones won’t get back to me before nine."

"Then you wait until nine. We have five more patients on the ward." Ava told Samantha, eyes still fixed on the charts in her hands. Claire was a mystery to Samantha. Those five patients were already undergoing treatment. She wanted to get on board with Claire’s case. She went downstairs for Billing, the only room that had a single door in the lobby. There was no one at the counter.

On the other side of the glass window, a woman was typing at the computer. "We open at nine." The woman said without looking at Samantha.

"I’m Dr. Parker, from the sixth floor. I’m dealing with a trauma case with no medical history."

"I have your request right here. I’m processing it now. I’ll email you the information you need as soon as possible." The woman said, eyes still focusing on the computer screen.

Samantha headed for the door and opened it. "I wanted to get on with her case right away."

The woman stood up and faced Samantha. "You know the rules regarding patient privacy, right?"

"I know I’m going to get some information from the provider but I have no way of knowing if the meds I’ve given her are going to interact with what she’s taking. I don’t know if she had any similar episodes or who her physician is. All I want to know is which hospital she’s working at and I could take it from there."

"Why do you think she works at a hospital?" The woman asked as she folded her arms.

"She said she was a surgical nurse."

"This isn’t protocol, Doctor."

"Look, I only have eight hours left into my shift, but I’m not going anywhere until my patient gets the help she needs."

The woman returned to the computer and pulled up the search results anyway, showing it to Samantha. "Claire Embrey worked across town at St. Joseph’s."

"Thank you so much!"

"Looks like she has full hospitalization." The woman said but Samantha already went out of the Billing office.

Samantha walked into the doctors’ shared office and called the head nurse of surgery at St. Joseph. The head nurse told Samantha over the phone that Claire was a friend of hers and asked if she’s okay. Samantha knew she couldn’t reveal anything about her patient to anyone. "I’m just wondering if she has suffered any illnesses lately or missed work."

"Not at all. She hasn’t missed a day in five years since she started working here."

Samantha checked on a few notes regarding Claire and found the name of her emergency contact, Jason Pryde. "Do you know Jason?" She asked as she sat down on her office chair.

"Jason and Claire are engaged."

Her suicide attempt doesn’t click with Samantha. "Has she experienced any recent trauma or tragedy?"

"She hasn’t mentioned anything about it but Jesus Christ, Doctor, how sick is she?"

"I’m not sure but I’m going to find out,"

"It’s not cancer, right? She and Jason just bought a house in the country. It has got a barn for horses. She always wanted to take care of horses."

"What does Jason do for a living?"

"He’s a physical therapist here at St. Joseph."

"How in the world did they buy an acre in the country?" The question slipped out of Samantha’s mouth.

"Oh, Claire worked for a big organization overseas. TGT, I think. She doesn’t talk about it much but she had a huge bonus when her contract ended."

"Okay. Thank you for your time." Samantha hung up before the head nurse could question her. She decided to talk to Claire’s physician first before speaking to her patient’s partner. She described the woman’s episode to Dr. Kowitz and it left him speechless for a moment.

"She has no history of anything like this. I’ve been her doctor for years. Although she came to me last month, complaining of memory loss, we did everything. Neurology, CT scan, bloodwork. It showed a decrease in her thyroid function. There wasn’t anything else. I treated her with 25mcg of Liothyronine and an OTC B-12 supplement. She seemed to have improved."

"Okay. Thank you, Doctor." Samantha said as she ended the call. She never heard of hypothyroidism causing any psychological distress.

"Sorry, I’m late." Bill Cooper said as he walked into the office. "I was hoping to have a word with you before we start rounds."

"What’s up?"

"I just had a chat with Alice. She commended your work with the psych trauma patient. Although your patient attacked one staff member. We’re a small department. Yes, you followed protocol and handled everything but the patient occupied three nurses, two orderlies, the ER attending and you for nearly an hour. The ER is in code black. Next time, and trust me that there will be a next time, just juice the patient and sort it out later. I’m aware that it’s not a protocol but that’s the reality here in Banks General."

Instead of protesting, Samantha agreed, hoping the steam building up in her head while talking to this ignorant doctor will fade out. "I talked to Claire’s physician and the patient has no history of mental health issues. The only issue was memory loss, possibly attributed to hypothyroidism. Liothyronine, as far as I can remember, isn’t a watch drug for psychotic episodes."

"We should run a tox screen and full thyroid panel." Dr. Cooper said while texting.

"Already ordered," Samantha said, which made Bill look at her.

"This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re a good psych doctor; you gathered all this history but without patient cooperation. You know that’s important." He said as he glanced at his watch. "Time for first rounds. Let’s go."

"What the hell happened to ‘juice the patient first’, Dr. Ignorance?" Samantha said as soon as Bill got out of the office.


	3. Remaining Hours

Sitting in the cafeteria, eating her eggs and toast, Samantha dreaded the day she decided to become a doctor. A year into military training, she switched gears, dropped out and applied to med school. That last phone call from her mother at three a.m. She was sobbing; probably drunk again. Samantha’s mom never got over the fact that she and her husband were already divorced for four years. She always called Samantha whenever she drank too much. She couldn’t maintain a week in her job, which made Samantha’s father hate it. He, on the other hand, maintained a healthy living despite having multiple health issues: a CAD, COPD and cirrhosis. Another call came three hours later. It was from Ava. Her father’s dead. He died in his sleep. Ava was there to check on Samantha’s father before going to work but found out that the old man already passed away. Samantha couldn’t bear to be at her father’s wake. Not only because she didn’t have the chance to be with him on his last days, but she also hated being in the same room with her mother who had the nerve to blame her for her father’s death. After the funeral, while clearing her father’s room, she found a note written by her father: wishing Samantha would’ve followed his wife’s wishes instead of his. That made up Samantha’s mind to become a psychiatrist. Like her mother hoped.

Her pager went off. She scooped up her paper cup of coffee, Liz briefly entering her thoughts.

"Hey, Sam. Your patient’s boyfriend showed up at the ward. You better come up there while I do my rounds." Ava said and Samantha went back to the sixth floor.

Jason Pryde is a big guy with dark hair. "Are you the doctor?" He asked as Samantha entered the ward. 

"Samantha Parker." She shook his hand. "She's still asleep."

"What happened to her?" Jason asked as they sat on one of the empty benches.

"Claire suffered an extreme psychotic episode. A nurse was injured and--"

"What??"

"But I was able to calm her and she voluntarily took some meds. When she wakes up, we’ll need a dermatologist for her frostbite."

"Frostbite?"

Samantha nodded. "Is she experiencing any stress?"

"What? No. She was as steady as a rock. We were going to get married in three months and we already bought a place in the country."

"Any alcohol or substance abuse?"

"Nothing… She doesn’t drink and we don’t do drugs."

"Were you with her last night?"

"Yeah, but she suddenly left with her car. I tried to look for her, called the police and they found her car about a mile from here. Then, one of your ER nurses called me this morning. Claire’s never had a meltdown. Other than a cold, or the flu, she’s never been seriously ill."

Samantha remembered the scar she and Lou saw. "What about a surgery?"

Pryde’s face went blank. "She’s never mentioned any surgery."

While not a surgeon herself, Samantha did not doubt what she had seen. The scar had been well taken care of - perhaps with plastic surgery - Samantha knew the procedure was a major one. The length of the scar alone identified a serious situation. "The scar on her abdomen looks like a surgical scar."

"I’ve seen it but I can’t remember what she said it was from. Maybe when she was a kid or something."

She noticed Jason’s eyes darting around. "Most people don’t feel comfortable in the ward. There’s a waiting area on the fifth floor. If you want to hang out there, we’ll come and get you when Claire’s awake."

Jason stood up immediately. "That would be great. Oh, her brother had the surgery when he was a kid. Not Claire."

"Do you know what it was for?" Samantha stood up.

"Liver surgery, I think. It eventually killed Claire’s brother. Part of the reason she went into medicine."

_ _ _ _ _

"It looked like a chevron scar, the kind of thing you see with liver transplant surgery. Whoever did the work is one hell of a cutter. You can barely see the thing."

Samantha got lucky that the scanner tech was still on duty. "Could it be from anything else?"

"Possibly, I guess. It looks so specific. Some people call it a Mercedes scar."

Samantha received Claire’s medical history through her phone but any kind of surgery was nowhere to be found. "How could she possibly have undergone a transplant surgery with no record of it?"

It was a rhetorical question but the tech replied. "You’d have to ask the surgeon."

Meanwhile, Claire woke up in a brighter mood. She showed no indication of agitation and didn’t express any suicidal thoughts. Samantha questioned her about the surgical scar. "I’ve had it as long as I can remember. I don’t remember how I got it."

"According to your partner, your brother suffered from a liver ailment. Were you a donor, perhaps?" Samantha asked.

"Immediate family was excluded from the donor list because they’re not sure about the genetic component. My brother suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis. I would have been a donor if they let me."

Frustrated, Samantha went to the shared office. Bill Cooper walked in a moment later. "What’s up, Parker?"

Samantha sighed. "Claire Embrey."

"Her thyroid levels were normal."

"She has a surgical scar that’s not in her medical history. She doesn’t even remember how she got it."

Bill interrupted. "If she had a surgery in a foreign country, not covered by her insurance and she doesn’t want to talk about it, respect it."  
Samantha frowned. Dr. Cooper read her thoughts before they were even formed. "I get it. You’re a problem-solver and that’s what makes you an excellent psych doctor. We have her for another sixty-five hours or so. We’ll talk to her and figure it out."

"Do you know what bothers me about this patient?" Samantha asked Bill. "Last night, she walked out of her house, drove her car and ditched it, walked through the snow for a mile and a half in her bare feet--"

"Attacked a nurse, expressed suicidal thoughts, and this morning, she’s bright and carefree," Cooper finished. "The wonders of psychiatry."

Finally, the clock ticked down and Samantha had Saturday and Sunday off. "Hey, are you seeing that Liz Norman lady this weekend?" Ava asked as Samantha headed out of the ward.

Samantha pushed the button for the elevator. "What is it this time, Ava?"

"I just wanna tell you to have fun! Don’t hesitate to get fucked."

Samantha walked into the elevator. "Fuck off, Ava."


	4. Almost

Samantha pulled over and parked her car by the sidewalk and walked into her father’s house. She stomped her boots across the porch and headed inside the property. Ford was on his rug, taking a nap when Samantha came in. He greeted her by getting up and running over to Samantha. 

"Hey, buddy! How are you?" She looked at his dog bowl. It was a big one, and before she left for her shift, she filled it with dry dog food. Ford would eat it if Samantha is around, but during her two-day absence, the food was barely touched. She filled his water bowl and opened a can of chicken flakes that her dog loved. The animal quickly dove into his meal.

Liz crossed Samantha’s mind. Before meeting her by the coffee joint, it had been years since her last relationship. Her last was Keane, who was her childhood best friend and her first love. Samantha had to let him go after he confessed that he was attracted to guys and that he didn’t have feelings for Samantha anymore. She did not regret letting him go after she met him a year later at an art exhibit. Keane had a very healthy relationship with his boyfriend, Zack. Samantha and Keane’s boyfriend got along once they met; very sweet and smart guy, and very resourceful, too. Pretty much the reason why Keane was so attracted to him.

Samantha took a shower and put on a sweater and leggings. She sat on the couch with Ford while they watched Home Alone. 

By nightfall, she called St. Joseph Hospital. A nurse in the surgery department picked up the phone. "Hi, I’m Samantha Parker, Claire Embrey’s doctor at Banks General. I was hoping you could answer a quick question for me. I understand she was working in a foreign country before she was hired at St. Joseph as a surgical nurse. Is there any way you can check that for me?"

"I’m sorry. It’s after five. The personnel office is closed."

"Oh. I guess I’ll just have to wait until Monday."

"Hang on. Her file is here. I guess they didn’t refile it yet. Dr. Parker, right?"

"Yes. Is her resume in there?"

"Yep. First page."

Samantha thought hard. The nurse she talked to earlier mentioned three initials. TGT. "Is there a TGT in her resume?"

"No, it’s GTO actually - Genetic Therapies Organization."

"Is there a phone number?" Samantha jotted it down and thanked the nurse.

Patient privacy was a federal right. Samantha was a bit nervous about what she’s doing. She thought of taking a step back but she already landed on GTO’s personnel office. There is no turning back.

"Hi, a former employee of yours is in my care," Samantha said and gave her credentials. "She was working overseas for you at one time?"

Unknown to Samantha, she was talking to Mel Nolan, who was the human resources director. "Overseas? You must be mistaken. We have research agreements with companies in Tokyo and Berlin but all of our facilities are on U.S. soil. We don’t have exchange programs if that’s what you’re asking."

"Is there any way I can review her employment records for me?"

"That information is private. Your hospital’s legal department can request them and we’ll evaluate the request based on the patient’s condition. We are a private research firm and all of our information is highly classified."

Samantha reached another dead end. She stopped herself from getting further. She ended the call and ordered a pizza for her and Ford instead.

Saturday came by and the clock ticked down to six. Samantha nervously picked through her closet. Considering the place where she’ll meet Liz, it was too upscale. It was a celebration kind of place. Her heart fluttered as she pulled out a dress. The length extended until above her knees. It was purple and seemed a bit cleavage-y for a second date - if a three-minute conversation would be considered the first one. She decided going back to the closet to pick up something formal.

Liz, on the other hand, drove downtown and parked her car in front of the place. Conversations flooded from the doors of the restaurant. Five minutes early, she invited herself for a drink at the resto’s bar. She ordered a white wine and sat at the only available stool. As she finished her glass, she spotted Samantha in her little black dress. She found the sheer neckline and cowl draping very attractive.

"Hey," Samantha greeted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be late."

"No, you're not. You look charming." Her dark brown eyes lit up.

"And you look amazing." Samantha was not kidding. Liz absolutely looked gorgeous in her sheer black dress. "You’re undeniably sophisticated."

Liz thanked her as a hostess walked by and asked if their table was ready. They were seated near the windows. Liz glanced at Samantha who was picking up a menu to study. She's seen the young woman’s reaction to the prices. "Just order what you desire."

Samantha glanced at Liz. "I’m sorry, it’s just that--"

"I know. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you." She gave Samantha a smile to which she returned. The waitress arrived to take their orders. "We’ll have the scallops. The young lady will have the linguine with fresh lobster but with less garlic and tomatoes. I’ll have the creamy steak fettuccine with eggs. Refills on the drinks, please."

The waitress left with their orders. Samantha found it quite astonishing to hear how Liz speaks. So formal and so sophisticated. This woman could be royalty. "What brings you here?"

Norman’s face went utterly blank. "I was visiting a friend. I’ve seen you around in the past and I wanna grab the opportunity to ask you out."

Samantha couldn’t remember seeing her around. Liz was too good-looking to miss.

Norman changed the subject. "Let’s just talk about you. Your family’s from here, right? Your mother is a secretary, and your father had been in the military for decades,"

"My father used to live here but mom moved out after they got divorced. Are you from around here?"

"No." Her only response. "I’m so sorry to hear that. Before you became a doctor, you’ve been in the military for a year, right?"

Samantha didn’t know what to say.

"You’re a candidate for the psych residency, too, and that’s a big positive step. But I think you should’ve gone for the military. Banks General is clearly not the place for you. I could help you with the arrangements if you like."

"Wait. Why do you know these things? We barely know each other." Their conversation was too one-way, and a very strange one. Instead of sharing a little of themselves, the date felt more like a job interview.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make this uncomfortable for you. Honestly, it’s my first time. I guess I’m scared."

"Scared on a date?"

"Scared on having a dinner with an undeniably gorgeous young woman." Liz confessed.

Samantha reached out across the table and took the woman’s hand. "It’s just me."

"I know. You're too likable." On the table, Liz squeezed Samantha’s hand. "You’re sweet, smart, compassionate and pretty."

Her breath was taken away for a moment. The warmth of her hand spread upward, throughout Samantha. "I doubt that I’m as likable as you."

After the two finished eating, they walked out of the restaurant and it started snowing again. Samantha thanked Liz. "It’s been a pleasure being with you tonight. I enjoyed it."

"I’m glad you did. Are you ready for the next part?"

"I thought we’re just going to eat. Where are we headed?"

"You’ll see." They walked for almost five minutes from the restaurant until they reached a park. There were no other people at the park and before Samantha knew, they were standing near the rails, with a beautiful view of the city’s nightlights beneath them. "I usually go here at night to see the lights. It’s more peaceful." Liz told Samantha as she rested her hands on the rails.

"It’s very pretty," Samantha breathlessly said.

"I know," Liz said, eyes fixed on the scenic view.

Samantha placed her hand on Liz’s. "Thank you. Tonight's been great."

Liz looked at Samantha and smiled at her. The young doctor leaned in closer, her hand did not leave Liz’s. The other woman stared at Samantha’s lips as they came closer. As their lips touched, an image of a woman suddenly flashed before Liz’s eyes. She was taken aback. "No."

"Are you okay?" Samantha asked her.

"You should go." Liz said as she walked past Samantha.

The young woman followed her. "Liz."

"Don’t follow me. Go home." Liz said as she continued walking, leaving Samantha on her own.


End file.
